ICCHP, Linz AT, July 2008
Presentation Overview
- Introduction to WAI-AGE
- What We’ve Found So Far
- An Invitation to Collaborate
WAI-AGE Project
Web Accessibility Initiative - Ageing Education and Harmonization
EC funded project with objectives to:
- Better understand the needs of the ageing community
- Work with the ageing community
- Develop educational materials
- Pursue standards harmonisation
Ageing population
The European population is aging:
- 1990 - 14% over 65 years
- 2010 - 18% over 65 years
- 2030 - 26% over 65 years
Not just Europe:
- Korea expects to have 25% of its population over 65 years within 10 years
Established field
W3C has been promoting Web accessibility since 1997:
- Web accessibility is a well established field with lots of support materials and extensive community expertise and support
Works well for people with disabilities
… but what about the elderly?
Elderly not online!?
More older persons than younger soon:
- Fastest growing demographic online in many countries
- 'Baby-boomers' starting to retire and are closer to technology
Expected to work longer, retire later
'Silver surfers' are an increasingly important economic market segment
Community participation is moving online
Life-long learning now requires Web access
Web provides a mechanism for communication and socialisation
Ageing and disability
Common ageing processes often result in:
- Vision impairments
- Hearing loss
- Motor skill diminishment
- Memory and processing problems
Many older people experience multiple sensory losses and functional impairments
These changes are often incremental and many older people's self image does not necessarily reflect that they may have a disability
Literature analysed
Different types of studies …
- Not well understood by industry or users
- Often do not build on previous work
- Some reflect a lack of technical knowledge
- Often seem unaware of the WAI work
Literature … cont
Many studies found cognitive issues the overwhelming barrier:
- Information overload
- Trouble comprehending the interface
- Often attributed to low computer literacy and skills, though this is changing
Identified provisions
Provisions include:
- Clear presentation and writing
- Clarity of navigational elements and links
- Avoidance and correction of form errors
- Good use of colour and contrast
- Clarity of links and headings
- Augmentation with images
Do many of these sound familiar?
Provisions … cont
Many studies also contain recommendations on:
- Readable fonts, text size and text alignment
- Form design
- Page design and layout
- Other general usability issues
Some of these factors may be relevant to WCAG’s advisory techniques or other educational materials
Considerations
- People with disabilities
- Different disabilities tend to have been considered independently
- Ageing impairments
- Often multiple impairments and a lack of recognition
- New older users
- Observed to have difficulty in learning new information and in conceptualising and generalising
Next steps
- Develop educational materials to better assist industry and users
- Participation encouraged
Thank you and Questions
Project Web site:
Contact us:
